Employees who can’t spare a square are stealing toilet paper from their workplaces as the office becomes the new the cost-of-living “battleground.”
Some employers are seeing “unusual” changes in workplace behaviour with toilet rolls, tissues, and cleaning products disappearing as staff try to cut household costs, according to Workspaces CEO Brett McAllen.
Workers were also showering more often at work, with some even washing their clothes and preparing meals in the office to save money, Mr McAllen said.
Mr McAllen said the workplace bathroom, kitchen and stationary cupboard had become the new “cost-of-living battleground.”
He said increasingly inquiries from businesses wanting to move into shared and serviced offices were coming from owners who could no longer justify the costs of operating their own premises.
“Business owners are telling us they are being hit with increasing costs for electricity, water, internet, cleaning, repairs, maintenance and workplace supplies,” Mr McAllen said.
“At the same time, some are noticing staff taking longer or more frequent showers at work, washing clothing in the end-of-trip facilities, cooking meals that would normally be prepared at home, charging multiple devices, and even taking toilet rolls and other supplies home.”
Mr McAllen said when items like toilet paper, soap, food, cleaning products, or other communal supplies started to “disappear” it placed managers in an awkward position.
“They do not want to accuse or embarrass employees, but those products are provided for use in the workplace, not to subsidise private households.
“One toilet roll may not seem significant, but repeated across a workplace, the costs accumulate.
“More importantly, it indicates that people may be under serious financial stress or that boundaries around shared resources have broken down.”
Mr McAllen said changing employee behaviour may indicate financial hardship and should initially be managed through discreet, respectful conversations.
“Compassion and accountability can exist together,” he said. “Staff should be supported, but the workplace cannot become a free substitute for running a household.”
